Submitted by tonymmorley t3_yr6epv in Futurology
CalvinSays t1_ivtpd54 wrote
Reply to comment by hawkwings in New antibiotic passes through the first phase of clinical trials with ease by tonymmorley
Why are farmers the problem?
saffron_boy t1_ivtrk1d wrote
They give antibiotics to their animals on a daily basis based on an old myth that it’s good to keep them healthy.
Swagastan t1_ivtym7u wrote
It actually is used as a growth promoter, chickens grow quicker when given antibiotics.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC153145/
“Shortly after the introduction of the therapeutic use of antibiotics, the growth-promoting effect of these products in chickens was discovered by feeding fermentation offal from the chlortetracycline production of Streptomyces aureofaciens (122). Several antibiotics have been in use as growth promoters of farm animals ever since. The introduction of these agents coincided with intensive animal rearing. These products improved feed conversion and animal growth and reduced morbidity and mortality due to clinical and subclinical diseases. The average growth improvement was estimated to be between 4 and 8%, and feed utilization was improved by 2 to 5% (90).”
CalvinSays t1_ivtsop1 wrote
Where did you get this information? I'm a fifth generation agriculturalist and I promise we don't give animals antibiotics everyday. That is way too expensive.
saffron_boy t1_ivu5og8 wrote
CalvinSays t1_ivu6c2t wrote
I fail to see where any one of those sources said agriculturalists give antibiotics to their animals everyday. But don't listen to me. My family is only raises livestock for a living.
imafraidofmuricans t1_ivu9kqj wrote
It was (is) a big enough issue that the practice of putting antibiotics in livestock feed was outlawed in Sweden in the 80s.
Your anecdote is noted.
Let's put it this way: what is more likely?
Nobody is putting antibiotics on feed and it was outlawed just because, and all these scientists studying the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria from livestock to humans are just doing it for absolutely no reason (again, see the links above, that's what they are about).
Or
Your family's farm is not typical.
CalvinSays t1_ivuaq09 wrote
The objection was not that antibiotics are used in animal agriculture (to treat infections). The objection was that we supposedly give it to animals every day.
Animals deserve medical care too. Doctors over prescribed antibiotics which is a huge issue for antibiotic resistance but agriculturalists are always the scapegoat.
DebrecenMolnar t1_ivufneb wrote
Nobody here is arguing against the use of antibiotics for illness.
What are you failing to understand is that the argument is about the fact that livestock typically are given antibiotics for the sole fact that it will make them grow faster.
It has nothing to do with disease-related administration of antibiotics.
If you’re hung up on the “every day” part just forget about that. It was not accurate. But it would be accurate to say that many livestock are given antibiotics for growth rather than for illness, which is a huge problem.
Congrats on not doing that on your farm. Take your “farm animals deserve healthcare too” shit elsewhere; nobody here is suggesting otherwise. In fact, quite the opposite.
mr_bedbugs t1_ivuwrur wrote
>farm animals deserve healthcare too
We don't even have healthcare for our own citizens.
YaAbsolyutnoNikto t1_iw172ci wrote
Speak for yourself. I do in my country. I'm also currently living in a developing country in Asia and I still have it.
saffron_boy t1_ivuc4n5 wrote
“Daily basis” was an exaggeration, my bad. It’s difficult to carry tone over message.
The issue is giving animals antibiotics as a preventive measure rather than a treatment of infection. It’s a practice that a lot of farmers still follow.
ThePickleConnoisseur t1_ivubxxf wrote
They give them to animals. I believe a few years back Chinese farms fed them a cheap antibiotic which was considered the last line of defense and made a new strain of resistant bacteria
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